Schiphol Airport CEO Dick Benschop has resigned following a chaotic summer season that saw copious airport delays, flight cancellations and the introduction of passenger capacity limits at the Amsterdam hub.
The airport’s supervisory board accepted Benschop’s resignation on Thursday (15 September) however he will remain in office until a successor is found.
Benschop, who took on the role of president director and CEO of Royal Schiphol Group in May 2018, said he is voluntarily stepping away to help the airport revive its image.
“A lot of attention, and criticism, has been directed towards the way in which Schiphol is tackling the problems and my responsibility as CEO,” he said in a statement.
“On my own initiative, I am giving Schiphol the space to make a new start. I do not want the attention on me as an individual to become an obstacle for Schiphol.”
He went on to say: “The situation at Schiphol and what that means for our travellers and employees is close to my heart. I have done my very best, but we’re not there yet. I hope that things improve soon. I love Schiphol. Managing this company was a great honour.”
The rapid rebound of post-pandemic travel during Europe’s summer season saw airports scrambling to meet demand, where widespread staff shortages led to airport delays and last-minute flight cancellations.
Home to the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM, Schiphol was not immune to the chaos and the carrier was forced to cancel up to 20 flights a day throughout July and August. To relieve the pressure on staff, the airport restricted passenger numbers during the summer peak period, and recently extended caps until October.
Schiphol also introduced a temporary compensation scheme to reimburse travellers who missed flights due to lengthy security control delays.
Supervisory board chair, Jaap Winter, said due to the “ongoing bad news” in recent months the board was in regular contact with Schiphol's management, where “all possibilities for improvement were and continue to be discussed”.
In thanking Benschop, he added: “Under Dick’s leadership, far-reaching measures were taken to stabilise the situation at Schiphol. Improvements were made during the summer, but this isn’t enough. Further intervention in the capacity and management of the security companies is necessary.
“As a national and international airport, Schiphol must return to offering the quality of service that passengers and airlines are accustomed to… We respect and understand Dick’s decision to resign. We hope to quickly find a successor.”